County Council - Regular Meeting

Won't talk. Seven o'clock? Eight o'clock. Oh, yeah.

It's also National Night Out tonight.

So we have that before we start the meeting. Once we start the meeting, we don't accept cards anymore so the ladies can focus on the meeting and keeping notes on what they're supposed to do. So just wanted to let you know we've got a couple of minutes before we get started.

It is. Sorry. Kids are feeling good? Mine are good? It's fine, everybody's fine. I leave on Thursday going up to D.C. My grandson, who is nine, he's been invited to Pokemon. Pokemon is a great game.

I knew he was growing the grapes, but I didn't know he had officially started his winery. Hey, do me a favor. Pull that microphone around for you. Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the Monday, September 14th, 2026 St. Charles County Council meeting. We'll start off tonight with our invocation. Henry Durst is back with us from Precious Seeds St. Charles. Thank you, Henry, for coming and praying for us. And our pledge of allegiance is to be led by Councilman Terry Hollander. Please stand and remove your caps, please.

Henry. Our Father and our God, we thank you and praise you for all you do for us. We are so blessed living at this time and in this place. And we are confident in your promises for our future. Please give this legislative body the wisdom to make decisions that will benefit all of us. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. You may be seated. Please call the roll.

Councilman Swanson, Councilman Brazel, Councilman Hammond, Councilman Elam, Councilman Hollander, Councilwoman York, Councilman Baker.

First item tonight is public comment. As we said, should have turned in a card before the start of the meeting. You'll have three minutes in which to speak. The timer is right over there at the end, so you'll see that countdown. Our first speaker tonight is Mr. Larry Rice.

regarding shelter for the unhoused.

Thank you for this opportunity and back again may continue to come back just to keep reminding us of the needs of those that are homeless and in our community growing numbers within the last 3 years 300% increase and by having a shelter here in Saint Charles County where there is no shelter we won't see so many coming into Saint Louis like for example, Mary whose husband threatened to kill her And she's right in this area. She came and we're able to provide for her. We met Brandon last week and there's so many, many others. I was very grateful to hear from our county executive what the county is doing to those that are helping those that have mental problems and the county jail. I've met a number of individuals over there. But again, I can't stress enough how important it is that we reach out and help the homeless right here on county. I understand and recent article in Saint Louis post dispatch in August some $900,000 was spent for animal adoption center along with consulting fees. I hope we had to bring you some plans in the future and no cost of course to the county for a 80 bed shelter for the unhoused here in Saint Louis in Saint Charles County. I know in Lincoln County. There they have a program there. They've actually built a shelter and they lease it out to a group called Bridge of Hope for a dollar a year. Now, St. Charles County can do the very same thing, and it's urgently needed at this particular time. So many women and children hurting people. I think of the woman that was sleeping outside, came to us with her two small children, and they literally had nowhere else to go until a nurse actually found them and put them in a local hospital until they could contact us. This morning when I answered the phone, a 63-year-old woman that was out on the streets, had slept out there for a month, and the hurt and pain that she was going through. This is repeated over and over in St. Charles County. Good organizations like First Step Back Home, and you'll hear from Paul in a few minutes, but he gets inundated with calls. He can't do it by himself, neither can any other agencies. And again, a county that is building a second adoption center for the animals when they don't have a shelter at all for human beings, Each one of us need to examine our hearts. I know that God loves animals, but Jesus said, as often you've done to the least of these, he said, even so you've done it unto me. He was referring to human beings, flesh and blood human beings. These individuals aren't able to be here, many of them themselves, because they're basically out there trying to survive at this time. You will see them perhaps on corners panhandling like the man I saw this morning who said if he didn't get sixty five dollars, he's going to sleep outside. And again, this is repeated over and over. Many are out there trying just to get enough money for a place to sleep at night. Hotel costs keep going up and up. No one organization can do it. But you're in a position here in St. Charles County to actually make a big difference. I'm grateful that you're doing something for the animals, but I'm asking you right now, please help the unhoused people in this tri-county area, particularly in St. Charles County. God bless you. Thank you.

Paul Cruz.

Yeah, thanks again for listening to us. I have homeless ministry here for 20 years. First step back home. We help... all kinds of homeless. We started off helping just the homeless men, but now it's everybody because there's no already good services out here for people, poor people like that. We've helped 20,000 people now in 20 years, and there's 20,000 more waiting to be helped. There's like 700 people right now on the streets in the three counties, 700. We get 60 calls a week. We just can't help everybody. And with Larry's program, you're going to have an 80-bed building and I mean it would take a lot of pressure off of the agencies now that are working with the homeless. I just had a Marine yesterday. He's 100% disabled. He's got five kids and he bought a car so he couldn't afford to live in a hotel anymore. So the VA is helping him a little bit but I've helped him with gas. I gave him food for his kids and I'll probably help him some more when the VA benefit runs out, you know. there's so many people like that it just it just tears your heart out to just see them like that they pull up in the gas station i get them some gas and they have all their belongings stacked up to the ceiling in the back seat you can't you can't open the back door i mean there's so many people out there like that and we just sure like to get some support for larry's building and take some of the pressure off of the agencies right now right now we're the only option for emergency shelter in all three counties. Can you imagine that? Half a million people in all these counties. And we're the only option. And we don't get that much money in donations. The Lord has helped us in the past 20 years to help all these people. But the expense is just getting so bad. I got a really good price for a hotel room, $65 a night and $400 a week. So that helps a lot because That's a lot lower than the standard rate. And I'm able to help more people that way. But that adds up. I mean, we spend $50,000 a year on motels. I mean, they're happy to see me come. And we have to turn people away because we just can't afford it. It's just like turning people away every day. And then the ones we do put in hotels, we give them food, clothes, transportation, job opportunities. Then we require them to submit 15 affirmations a day for work for every day in a hotel. and they start paying their own way in a hotel. We've got people living in hotels for five and six years. I mean, what kind of life is that? They've got dressing drawers in the hotel rooms. They've been there so long. They're just wasting all their money. There's no equity in hotel rooms. So what in the world? That's just a miserable way to live. So we just need a lot of help with all this problem. Thanks. Thank you, Paul.

Ashley Salazar, regarding festival proposal.

Hi. Good evening, council members. Perhaps maybe this idea can, if we used it as a fundraiser, we could use some of the money to fund some of these shelters that we're trying to get built here in our county. I'm here tonight to propose an annual St. Charles County Paw Paw Festival. The story behind this idea goes back to the pandemic when I first fell in love with native foods and wild edibles. I came across the Missouri Department of Conservation publication by Jan Phillips called Wild Edibles of Missouri, and it opened up an entirely new world to me. That led to years of studying native plants and eventually the decision to go back to school to become a botanist. Along the way, I discovered pawpaw, a fruit I had never even heard of before, and once I found it growing here in Missouri, the passion only grew. There's something special about discovering a fruit that's unique growing right around us, yet so many people don't even know it's there. And that matters when we're developing land. Developers can literally destroy Missouri's official state fruit tree without even realizing it. Pawpaw became our official state fruit tree in 2019. We already celebrate peaches, watermelon and apples here in St. Charles. So why not celebrate our native state fruit, the pawpaw, the largest edible fruit native to North America. Ferguson is holding its third annual Pawpaw Festival this coming Saturday. Weston is launching the first Missouri Pawpaw Festival ever. And Ohio has grown into the world's largest pawpaw festival a three-day event that has been going on for now 28 years and draws nearly 10 000 people ohio may have the biggest pawpaw festival right now but maybe someday we could give them some competition so why not here this could be much more than a food festival the zebra swallowtail butterfly depends on pawpaw leaves to raise its caterpillars. Imagine a giant vivid cutout of the pawpaw, the caterpillar, and the adult butterfly, allowing children to see that relationship up close and understand what native host plants is. Local growers, native plant educators, and conservation organizers could come together for pawpaw tastings, seed and tree exchanges, growing demonstrations, education, and activities for kids. Our children could be able to recognize our state fruit tree. They should know what pawpaw tastes like and that Lewis and Clark ate them during their expedition through Missouri as a survival food. There's an economic opportunity here too. Local growers and businesses could develop pawpaw products right here in St. Charles County. Maybe someday we could have a St. Charles County pawpaw ice cream that people across the county and perhaps the country could know and love. Pawpaws don't just grow alone. They grow in patches. Let's build a destination event around Missouri State native fruit.

Thank you, ma'am. And now I know where that pawpaw patch thing came from in the song.

Lisa Toms regarding bill number 5530.

Good evening. I'd like to start off with answering the age-old St. Louis County or St. Louis region question, where did you go to high school? I went to high school at St. Charles. At that time in 1977 when I graduated, West was brand new. The point of this is, in my junior year, St. Charles started a program where there was an outreach into the community for the students to get them introduced into the job. I started off right there at St. Joseph's a couple times a week going there. I had to start my junior year early just to do it so that I could go through their training. and part of their training was the mandatory absolute insistence that patients information was private and there was in no way shape or form ever to be a breach of that trust. I went on to banking and then on to insurance and in every single one of those fields information that would pertain to the individual would never to be shared. Bill 5530 and the one the 2 that have come before that is a breach of contract. The breach of our information I have not as a citizen of this County for decades signed off that the Saint Charles County Health Department have the right to my information. My husband is what IT manager for 33 years and just retired, I have a full understanding of what it means to have access to files and to be able to download. And if you all think that it's a wise thing to do to give any employee access of anybody's personal records online, it's a mistake.

Thank you.

Jake Jackson regarding plot cameras in Bill number 5530.

hello again members of the council uh i'm here today to speak about the issue of flockhammers again and mass surveillance and the covet ask bill 55 30 being introduced today i have noticed that since the flockhammers were back bagged up a couple weeks ago they have since been completely removed i'm very glad to see this and so are thousands of other residents and citizens of st charles county however i cannot and will not allow this to fade into oblivion because just because you've created the appearance that's been resolved when it's far from over. It is absolutely not over, and I have decided that I will speak at every single council meeting going forward until you decide to do what's right for the citizens of St. Charles. I will never give up, and I will never give in, and you will see my face here at every single council meeting until you put in place measures that protect the God-given rights of your constituents. Yesterday, I collected over 30 signatures in the first council district in Wentzville, and I have to convey that they were very unhappy that their council member thinks that their concerns are, quote, misinformation. To the council member of that first district, shame on you. Our concerns are not misinformation. The concerns of your constituents should be your top priority whether they benefit you or not. It is wrong to ignore the valid and very real concerns of your constituents because you think you know better than them. Public service is about sacrificing your ego, representing your constituents' interests, and defending their rights. That's why I'm calling on the council to either pass an ordinance that would prohibit mass surveillance technology or to put a charter amendment to a vote of the people. I would absolutely support a charter amendment as long as it includes the language from my bill, 1776, that 320 physical signatures of residents and thousands of other online supporters are backing. Separately, I'd also like to voice opposition to Bill 5530. I completely oppose allowing county government to access the private health records of citizens under any circumstances. This is just another example of government overstepping its bounds. Have we learned nothing from the failed overreaching policies of the COVID scandemic? Have we learned anything from that? Maybe that wasn't a good idea. I mean, I know we didn't personally, you know, I know we didn't employ those kinds of policies as much here in St. Charles, but other places did. And they were failed policies. Finally, I see that you're considering some changes to the council rules regarding meetings. I believe rules in guardrails are just fine to keep things orderly and timely, but I also believe that your rules on public comment are rather restrictive. Three minutes is simply not enough time to convey important points, even on a single subject, much less when there may be more than one to share. You should extend public comment to four minutes. The deadline for the speaker's card should be up to the beginning of the public comment portion, and there should not be a limit on the number of speakers. The First Amendment is a constitutional right and should not be severely restricted. I yield my time. Thank you.

Don Andrews regarding flock cameras.

Thank you so much for your time, because today I want to address what I think might be the biggest national security risk to our community, both domestic and internationally. And that is these flock cameras and other license plate reading cameras or identity detection cameras. For the purposes, I'm just going to refer to all of them as flock cameras. And that is because they are owned by and supported often by foreign multinationals. and other groups that are investing in them that don't have interests in our economy and that these this this information asymmetry much like the data center information is going to be accumulated asymmetrically against the population and used against us to accumulate wealth for people who have access to that information and how I can see that happening already is if is that it's being rolled out at the same time as these data centers and the cryptocurrency agenda. And it seems to be a coordinated rollout by a corporate slash authoritarian political agenda. And I think it's to not only extract value from the individual consumer to determine their behavioral patterns and to sell that information to people who trade in future markets and derivative markets, um not only is it going to from the microeconomic standpoint people are going to be ripped off by analyzing their behavior but at a micro economic level at a macroeconomic level as well we are also going to be see our our nation strategically disadvantaged by the information that's gleaned from these plot cameras because i don't believe for one minute that they're not hackable by any Anybody who wants to hack them, an international organization, mafia, gangs, gangs who want to target witnesses, rivals and informants. They're also going to be used to target other low level billionaires and millionaires who have wealth that these higher level billionaires want to extract. from them and they'll be used to blackmail those larger scale billionaires and millionaires so that the people at the very top have the absolute most information and ability to to criminalize their competitors and that and that additionally this this dilemma of having an authoritarian society and also one that is having the value extracted out of it is that as as the crime rate rises naturally because our information is being sold to third parties they're going to use it as a further excuse to increase the authoritarian nature of this of this society and i don't believe i don't believe in that problem reaction solution agenda And I'm really passionate about this because I often falsely get accused of being on drugs because I have female Asperger's and I picked my skin. And I picked my skin for the same reason that a beautiful bird of plumage picks out their feathers in a cage. And I'm asking you to not make my cage even smaller. And so thank you very much for your time.

Mackenzie Greer, regarding the 287 agreement.

Hello again, the other Mackenzie. My name is Mackenzie. I'm here out of concern for St. Charles County's international community. I was in this room months ago when the 287G agreement was put into place. Since then, I've been organizing alongside other concerned citizens on behalf of our international brothers and sisters. The best tool I've found to change public sentiment in the five years of immigration work is telling stories, and today I want to tell the story of our hardworking neighbors. When I think of hardworking families, I think of Claudia, who started her own trucking company in Mexico. I think of Munazzi, a lawyer and political advocate in Zimbabwe, who fled to America on political asylum and has since started his own nonprofit. And I think of Luis and Guadalupe. Luis and Guadalupe met as teenagers at Guadalupe's Family Bakery in Mexico. They fell in love, got married, and grew a little family bakery into a thriving business serving an entire region. The cartel noticed how well the bakery was doing and demanded protection money. They demanded $30,000 in three hours or their family would be killed. They had already seen the bullet holes in the businesses that didn't pay, so they left their home and came to the US-Mexico border to seek asylum with their two young daughters in a migrant shelter in Juarez. While they waited for their day in immigration court, Luis and Guadalupe still baked. Their baking alone sustained a shelter for immigrants awaiting their asylum seeking hearing. We need hardworking neighbors like Louise and Guadalupe, and yet neighbors just like them are sitting in the detention center in St. Genevieve right now. The ASHRAE Foundation has documented 500 detentions across St. Louis and the surrounding counties. St. Charles County accounts for 13% of all detentions in St. Louis and surrounding counties. O'Fallon itself has the highest detention numbers outside of St. Louis itself. the cato institution tells us that nationwide 73 percent of detainees have no criminal conviction at all this means 44 innocent hard-working tax-paying saint charles citizens have been separated from their families and sent to jail no longer contributing to our economy to our churches or to our schools furthermore forum together published that ice spends an average of 152 dollars per day to detain a single immigrant and most immigrants spend an average of 44 days in detention This means St. Charles County residents in the St. Genevieve detention facility will cost the state government at least $300,000. I'm asking you tonight to reconsider and repeal the 287 G agreement because St. Charles County talking real fast needs hardworking neighbors like Luis and Guadalupe. Thank you.

Thank you. Sorry.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and the members of the council. Rules 15 and 19 proposed by someone. It's not even in bold print to see what the changes are. You could just rename it the Arne Deanoff gag rule changes. It's very illegal and very unconstitutional of each and every one of you supporting this bill. You're attacking and singling me out personally for testimony that you just don't want to hear the facts upon. Each one of you make $800 plus a public pension for the rest of your life, plus some of you get health care that costs taxpayers $15,000 to $20,000 depending on how you use it, and you get $800 per meeting. And you don't want to hear the truth and statements about facts. You have to impede and block public testimony in every opportunity and every bite of the apple that you get that opportunity to do so. You love the silence and shut the public up. That givers the give up of time and energy and come here from all parts of the county that could be an hour away. It's about record setting meetings, according to the chairman, and how fast that the chair can get back to the starting Perry couch. If you all recall that about a dozen years ago. So it doesn't make any sense. And I ask each one of you to do some soul searching and to defeat bills 15 and 19 or rules, because it would limit three minutes for public hearings and five minutes for conditional use permits in order to cause a lawsuit in circuit court. What about County boards and commissions, the County executive policy of three terms, but yet the chairman of the planning and zoning is being, uh, now, uh, appointed to, I believe a fourth or a fifth term. And God forsake worry our st. Louis Hill resident from st. Louis City you want me to write a check for 10 cents Just give me the information electronically. It's very simple. Why do we have an emergency bill? 5525 what is this extreme measure and caught and cause on the agenda? Is it somebody that dropped the ball or what exactly happened bill 5520 is Avon Place and 15.8 million dollars of a buyout program for voluntary property owners, what about the other part of its 10 property owners, what about the other people across our County. I'm highly opposed to spending 3.3 million dollars and when so for an outer road for mercy systems they should be paying for it on their own and they have to spend down those billions of dollars of profits that they make off of our citizens according to internal revenue serve a service rules. Bill 5523, funding of municipal road projects. The County Road Board is now getting in the business of maintenance and overlays, which is the normal responsibility of municipalities. This is wrong and illegal against the ballot language that voters passed just less than two years ago. Thank you, Mr. Dana. We appreciate it.

Final speaker.

Thank you. Thank you. or report from the county executive.

I didn't have a report the chairman, but next time that the Reverend rice comes yet. I know it's not normal for us to to ask him questions, but would it be comes back asking to stay because you as you and I know we've been talking a lot about homelessness it at at the East West gateway meetings, yes, and especially we've been talking along with the community Council out here about the fact that the federal government gives the city of St. Louis over $13,000 per homeless person and gives us $1,400 per homeless person. You know, if we could get $13,000 per homeless person out here, we might be able to do some of the things he wants us to do. And I've, as you know, I asked this question A COUPLE TIMES AT MEETINGS. I CAN'T GET ANYBODY TO GIVE ME A DECENT REASON WHY THERE'S THAT GREAT DISCREPANCY. RIGHT. AND THIS IS NOT TOTAL. THIS IS PER PERSON. ST. LOUIS COUNTY, I THINK THEY GET A LOT MORE THAN WE DO, BUT NOWHERE NEAR AS MUCH AS THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS. SO NEXT TIME, IF HE DOES COME BACK, LET'S JUST ASK HIM IF HE HAS AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.

So good. Thank you so that get us to the consent agenda would entertain any motions of any items to be removed from the consent agenda by to remove the in the parks part of the bathrooms. Second that. All those in favor say aye aye any opposed. Any other items to be removed.

We're going to remove the council book rule. But if you would like to make that motion that a great motion to Remove the changes to council rules, including rule 15 and 19.

I second that motion in a second all those in favor say aye aye any opposed. Start with Mister Brazil. I'm sorry hold on a second. Yeah, I like to make a motion to approve the rest of the consent agenda back in. All those in favor say aye aye any opposed. Now Mister Brazil, thank you.

I just got a question this on this $523,000 for 2 bathrooms in a park at the dog park that seems extremely excessive. I know it's some kind of a mulch making compost bathroom, but you know you build a house from you have 2 or 3 bad bathrooms in a house for 520 550,000 so.

These are the Phoenix composting restrooms that we put there out all of our parks I think we have over 30 of them in our parks right now. They are designed by a former NASA engineer they have no sewage we don't we can place them anywhere in a park. So it allows basically by organisms to come in and break down the waste turned into compost and their bio efficient, I guess good for the environment. We can put them anywhere there sometimes we can put them solar powered. So we've had them throughout all of our parks and so they've been very reliable since we've installed them. I've been here since 2007 and we've had in kind of Phoenix composters and all the parks since then. So these are just sort of our standard bathroom fixtures that we have put in every part that we've ever developed. They are expensive, I will give you that unfortunately everything right now is expensive. We went to go try to purchase some shelters the other day and it was double the cost that we spent last year for the same exact shelter. So they it is the the price that they're currently charging for development right now.

Well, that's not really what my question is is When you build a bathroom put a septic tank and all these parts have hundreds of acres so it's not like we don't have a ground for the septic field which is a half an acre for a septic field and the maintenance is minimal on on on these bathrooms. So I just want to show you that 30 of them and that's 15 million dollars we spent on bathrooms seems like a complete waste of money. So all I would suggest is why wouldn't we just put in a we've got the bathroom down at the At the Klondike boat ramp, it's a holding tank. I'm sure that's really cheap. You suck out the stuff every once a month, whatever. of that you got these other one these here you what would it cost a 100,000 maybe to build a bathroom with a septic tank I mean you know block buildings in a black building simple and it just seems like we're you know I'd like to have a Rolls Royce to buy just combine the Chevy I mean it's about the same thing you know that because it's sensible that we put you just wait for these in the back of this will be in the back 40 of a new Melly Lake Park.

We don't have electric right out there right now. Again we you know we can put them pretty much anywhere. You know so that's why we have since used them.

Yeah I mean I mean you could run electric to it too for that kind of money.

We don't have any sewer we don't have any septic I mean when you when you.

What do you do with the mulch? They got how often you maintain that how often you got to dig it out of there and spread it where we spread I don't know exactly that quite an answer to what are the numbers for Ryan I'm not going to be a smart but I just want to know what are the numbers what justifies this kind of spend come up with a few because you want it because I have the money to spend no no no no again we have we've used these throughout all of the parks that's again okay fine I'm not going to support it because that's not the right answer.

Yes, sir.

May I inquire?

Yes.

Okay, I remember 20 years ago having sticker shock the first time I saw these. And they have gone They just keep going up. They keep getting more expensive. Has the increase since we did this the last time, I mean, it has been more or less or about the same as other products? Because we're seeing the same thing with construction costs.

Absolutely.

Is this worse or better or about the same?

I would think it's about the same that we're seeing right now like I said we saw that we went to go purchase to shelters that we bought last year this year it was double the price. And everything is going up right now and yeah I know it's it's a lot they have been very reliable and they've they work really well with us they work great in our and all of our parks and so we just want to continue continue to use them. continue to use the facilities, and it helps us standardize operations across the board.

You know, a lot of these things, these high, what should I say, technical things that are developed actually get cheaper because other people come into the market. Has nobody else ever come into this market to create any competition?

Not like these. Again, the guy who designed it quit NASA to do it and so he decided to build a better toilet and he has literally corner of the market on remote restrooms he has actually helicopter them into places like the Grand Canyon and put them in the middle of nowhere. So these are the systems that allow you to put them wherever you would like to put them within the park.

Mister Baker.

So there's 2 of them so how do you know what the cost would be for 2 septic systems, I mean would that be what we so we have a price that out 20,000. I mean, you know, septic tanks, we came a long way since I got into engineering in the 90s with septic systems, and they've been engineered, and they're pretty efficient now. So, I mean, I kind of agree with Councilman Brazel. We need to look at this. I mean, if we can get this cheaper and just do a septic system, it seems like it would make more sense.

Any other questions?

I got this. Dave.

I agree with Joe, too. I mean, we could put in a septic tank and field. lot cheaper than this and so maybe i would suggest if it's not urgent that we table this and get a price on tank and field patty

I was just going to say, we're taking a right-hand turn, and then you're going to have a whole other, I don't want to say division, but you're going to have to have different employees to do this job, right?

To do what?

To put in septic tanks and then how we would maintain those.

The only place that we have a septic field, I think, right now is at the Boone home, and we inherited that from Lindenwood when we acquired it. And it's been a maintenance nightmare because every time it rains the septic field floods the backs up into the restrooms backs and all the buildings in there. So we've had we've had issues with it. Never had issues with this again when a cell phone goes down the toilet. He doesn't matter it goes down. People throw a whole roll of toilet paper in there. It doesn't clog up the toilet. It goes in. So they have their literally maintenance free for the most part when it comes to vandalism and various other things in the park. I can go in and throw 10 rolls of toilet paper down the toilet right now and it will operate just fine. So again we've had other restrooms in our parks. Veterans tribute is on you know a sewer system right now and we have kids go in there and clog up the toilet we've had the restrooms at Brommel sec broken off the the wall with sledgehammers we haven't had any issues with these composting toilets and so when turn in terms of operation and reliability they've been good for us.

Well it just seems like you've looked at this you have to deal with it and it just makes sense. Like you say that did little maintenance on it little operational issues. Welcome down there and they're done and a boy in parks. You know we've dealt with that I remember dealing with it and it just seems like you can never get ahead of bathrooms in parks you can't do it.

The one thing that gets vandalized usually right.

To Mr. Hammond's point, is it immediate that you need this done, this meeting?

No, no, I mean we can table it, we can do some more research on it. Basically what we're trying to do right now is we're in the process of developing the Sundas Park Preserve at new Mellie and so we're trying to get some things done up front like purchase some of the amenities and stuff in there so when we go into develop we already have those going which is similar to what we did in Oglesby. So yeah, I would anticipate the prices are not going down so come longer we wait the more chance that it could even go up, you know, but I'm not we're not in a rush we can postpone it and and slow play. Mr. Chairman? Yes, sir.

Another question. Do we have two men and women's in every one of our parks?

Oh, yeah.

Is that required?

I don't know if it's required standard that they have.

I mean, it's one building that has... I mean, how many people are going to be there?

A lot. The dog park that we're currently designing will be one of the largest in the United States. And so it will have people from all over coming in.

I would just say, if we can get some information on these, I'd be curious to see how they work.

Come on out. I'll let you help clean out the bottom. I'm sure I made these guys would love to have some help. All right.

Yes, sir. Did Mr. Hammond make a motion? Yeah, I'm going to make a motion. We table.

All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? That was a table that's move on to council rules. Make the same motion. Yeah, I make a motion to table. All those in favor. All right any opposed. All right so we'll do that as well. That gets us to emergency bills so emergency bill 5525.

Emergency bill number 5, 5, 2, 5 requested by chief Kurt for is sponsored by my killing an emergency ordinance amending the 2026 budget adopted as ordinance 25 dash 0, 8, 2, as amended by transferring unencumbered appropriations between line items in the budget of the Saint Charles County Police Department.

Any questions or comments on this bill. Seeing none please call the roll.

emergency bill number 5, 5, 2, 5, an emergency ordinance amending the 2026 budget adopted as ordinance 25 dash 0, 8, 2, as amended by transferring unencumbered appropriations between light items in the budget of the Saint Charles County Police Department. Councilman Swanson, Councilman Brazel, Councilman Hammond.

Yes.

Councilman Elam. Yes. Councilman Hollander. Yes. Councilwoman York. Yes. Councilman Baker.

Yes. Bill 5525 passes. That gets us to bills for final passage starting with 5520. Bill number 5520.

An ordinance designating the Avon place disaster risk reduction area within Saint Charles County, Missouri for purposes of the local voluntary buyout program funded through community development block grant disaster recovery funds, CDBG-DR-4451.

Any questions or comments about Mr. Brazel?

This is $15 million, I assume this is federal money, is that what this is? Anybody? Mike.

Yes, sir. It's part of the CDBG-DR disaster recovery, $15 million that we got last year.

Does that include any of the houses that are in Mr. Baker's district that are flooding out on those creeks, or any of those houses are falling in heritage off the creek? Well, heritage is taken care of. Oh, they're taking care of it. Yeah, heritage is.

The DR was for only properties affected by the 2019 flood event. And then we were able to, through additional work, research, be able to see that the Avon place was also affected. So we were able to add that to this. And that's what this is.

Was that the 2019? Was that Highway 70?

No, that was 2022. That was a flooding event. No, 2019 was, I forget how many acres were inundated, but most of North St. Charles County was.

Mississippi and Missouri.

Yeah, Mississippi mostly. But some of Missouri.

So is it a mandatory buyout or is it just if it was...

It's voluntary.

Voluntary? All voluntary. And would you tear the house down or what do you do?

The house would be demolished, yes.

And then who would own the ground at that point?

The ground would be owned by the county and be not allowed for any future development.

Okay.

All right. Any other questions? Thanks, Mike. Sure. Please call the roll.

Bill number 5, 5, 2, 0, an ordinance designating the Avon place disaster risk reduction area within Saint Charles County, Missouri for purposes of the local voluntary buyout program funded through community development block grant disaster recovery funds CDB G D R 4, 4, 5, 1. Councilman Brazil, Councilman Hammond, Councilman Elam, Councilman Hollander, Councilwoman York, Councilman Baker, Councilman Swanson.

Bill 5520 passes up to 5521.

Bill number 5521 an ordinance establishing new traffic regulations and establishing penalties for violations thereof.

Any questions or comments on this bill. Seeing none, please call the roll.

Bill number 5521, an ordinance establishing new traffic regulations and establishing penalties for violations thereof. Councilman Hammond.

Yeah.

Councilman Elam. Yes. Councilman Hollander. Yes. Councilwoman York. Yes. Councilman Baker. Yes. Councilman Swanson. Councilman Brazel.

Yes. 5521 passes. That gets us to 5522.

No number 5, 5, 2, 2, an ordinance authorizing the county executive to execute an intergovernmental agreement with the city's with the city of once fell for use of Saint Charles County transportation sales tax fund funds for road improvements needed to support the economic development mercy hospital when filled development project.

Mister Baker. Yeah, I talked about this last meeting but you know I can't get money for a sound wall when which impacts people's quality of life and we're paying for a developer to build roads, I just can't support this so I'll be a no.

Yes, I wasn't here at this for this portion of the meeting, but I agree with Mister Baker on this one because the hospital industry is just I mean that they're not giving us breaks when we go to get things done and it's like this is huge 3.3 million it's like I don't see the benefit to the citizens so I think they can afford themselves and I don't yeah we got a lot of problems in our County with certain things with the sound walls and other roads and and stuff like that and we should be putting it in that so I won't support it either any other questions or comments about this Amanda would you please come up and tell us a little bit more about this proposed Road

so um as well not as every but this is a planned thoroughfare route for the city of winsville they had this in their thoroughfare plan for a long time it's an outer road to i-70 so it will serve more than just the hospital and it will allow for development of other parts of this this area in that quadrant of 70-64 so they are Mercy is paying 47% of the road cost and again it is a planned route that at some point when still would build on their own. Um so know there there is the component of where we're actually getting a developer to pay for a portion of a public road that would not be built at this point if it wasn't for that development coming in so there's there's definitely i i understand where tim and joe are coming from um but as a thoroughfare planned route as a public roadway that will serve other other purposes um that's kind of part of the reason i'm always supportive of these economic development projects

Do you want to show your map.

Yes, sir.

So people can see the actual road in question.

This one that's highlighted. I'm sorry it's not going to all been on there. So it will connect all the way from route the on this and up to Luke and how and he said men on the North edge and then in the U.S. 61. So it does provide kind of an alternate route around downtown Wentzville. Other other ways for people to get around.

So just so people are clear we're not building a road for mercy to mercy hospital we're building a thoroughfare road.

Correct.

Yes, correct me if I'm wrong, but this was a road project that was submitted by the city of Wentzville that going through the road board like any other you know project and this is how the funds came to be directed in this way correct.

Yes, only city can apply.

Thank you.

So to clear.

I in light of that information of support, you know, okay, I just want everybody to understand we're not paying to build a road to mercy mercy is paying 47% of the cost of this road. that to your point is a public thoroughfare that's going to connect all the way through because the new I 70 project that's being done right there which is the 630 million dollar for projects that mode on is doing all into one and is the largest mode of product that project that has ever been done in the history of mode is happening on that corner and that the connectors part of it that's going to bring it all the way back around and connect back to look now so that's going to pull a lot of arterial road or traffic off of that that's going to make them go back and connect so I just want everybody to understand. We're not going to build a road to the hospital correct. The name of that.

I mean the title of the it just looks like it was paying for a road that just services.

I mercy would and I don't know I don't know what it's it's that the economic yeah, it's that the really more that the public the developer is paying a portion of a roadway and like I said it's not always this way there have been instances where it was you know it was always a public road but it was a little left to find them but it's you it's generally a signal something like that and the developer

pay their portion we have you do you know the 80 T is expected to be up here.

That's a good question to be in here. They have 3,500 and the first year, but I would anticipate that that would would go up over time and also like I said as an outer road it will provide a good alternate route when there's issues on the interstate. or at that interchange.

Thank you. Thank you. Rob, did you have something else?

I just wanted to mention that the only reason Mercy's name is even on this is because it's an economic development project. So to attach it to a company that has job creation requirements, etc. That's why their name is the even on this is because of the economic development that portion of it.

Thank you. But it's when you're going to come we go back to its when Phil project basically it is and I'm going to remind you again of the road board money half of the road board money goes to the city's grand this is when Phil's use of what they're trying to do with their allocation of the road board money and it did go to Terry's point it did go through the road board and did get approved by the road board so with that please call the roll.

Bill number 5, 5, 2, 2, an ordinance authorizing the county executive to execute an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Wentzville for use of Saint Charles County transportation sales tax funds for road improvements needed to support the economic development mercy hospital Wentzville development project. Councilman Elam yes. Councilman Hollander, yes Councilman York, yes Councilman Baker, yes Councilman Swanson, Councilman Brazel, yes Councilman Hammond, yes Bill 5522 passes, that gets us to 5523 Bill number 5523, an ordinance approving a transfer of funds within the Transportation Planning Fund of the 2026 annual budget and corresponding intergovernmental agreements Questions or comments on this bill?

Seeing none, please call the roll

Bill number 5, 5, 2, 3, an ordinance approving a transfer of funds within the transportation planning fund the 2026 annual budget and corresponding intergovernmental agreements. Councilman Hollander, yes, Councilman, your yet Councilman Baker, yes. Councilman Swanson Councilman Brazil. Yes, Councilman Hammond, yeah, that's many.

Yes, no 5523 passes are last bill for final passage is 5524.

Bill number 5, 5, 2, 4, an ordinance authorizing the county executive to execute an agreement with the cities of Fallon Saint Charles St. Peter's once felt like Saint Louis Darden Prairie Weldon spring and Cottleville Missouri to share costs for high resolution geo reference aerial imagery from from the commentary.

Any questions or comments on this one. Seeing none please call the roll.

Bill number 5, 5, 2, 4, an ordinance authorizing the County executive to execute an agreement with the cities of O'Fallon, St. Charles, St. Peter's, Wentzville, Lake St. Louis, Darden Prairie, Weldon Spring, and Cottleville, Missouri to share costs for high resolution geo-referenced aerial imagery from pictometry. Councilman York, yes, Councilman Baker, yes, Councilman Swanson, Councilman Brazil, yes, Councilman Hammond, yes, Councilman Elam, yes, Councilman Hollander, yes.

That will be the final bill for final passage, 55-24 passes, gets us to bills for introduction, starting with 55-26.

Bill number 5526 requested by chief Kurt for a sponsor by making them an ordinance authorizing the county executive or designee to execute memorandums of understanding between the County of Saint Charles on behalf of the police department and the owners of various bio watch site locations.

Any questions or comments on this bill. Seeing none go to 5527.

The number 5527 requested by chief for a sponsor by Mike in an ordinance authorizing execution of an intergovernmental agreement for receipt of funds in the amount of 29,000 $69.76 from the Missouri Department of Public safety for purchase of equipment training and or technology further amending ordinance 25 dash 0, 8, 2, by providing supplemental appropriations to the Saint Charles County Police Department budget.

Questions or comments on this bill. Seeing none go to 5528.

Bill number 5528 requested by chief Kurt for a month by Mike in them in ordinance authorizing execution of an intergovernmental agreement relating to the crisis intervention program grant extension between Saint Charles County and Saint Louis County.

Any questions or comments on this one. I'll get us to 5529.

Bill number 5529, requested by Christine Ramsdell, sponsored by Mike Elam, an ordinance authorizing lease-back agreements for flood buyout properties and authorizing revised form leases for such agreements.

Questions on this bill? Seeing none, we'll get to 5530.

The number 5530 requested by Sarah ever sponsored by Mike in an ordinance authorizing the county executive or designee to execute an agreement with mercy health on behalf of the Saint Charles County Department of Public Health to allow nursing and epidemiology staff access to mercy health electronic medical record system to conduct public health.

Questions on this from Mister Brad who who's who knows about things out here I can answer or give me a scenario why you would need to do this.

So this is just to explain real briefly understand that there's some privacy concerns that have been raised and the public Health Department through state law section one 92067 And then Code of State Regulations 20-20-040 gives the county public health department the ability to carry out investigations into public health outbreaks. So for things like E. coli, cyclospora, tuberculosis, things of that nature. Measles. Measles, that's correct. So what exists already is that the public health department can get those records faxed. They can go and physically pick them up or they can be sent them in the mail. What this agreement proposes to do is it allows the public health department certain limited personnel within the public health department who are charged with that investigation function to gain access electronically. So this actually ends up being a way to access the information that is theoretically safer than transmitting it in the mail or over email or anything like that. That's what the purpose of the agreement is. It does not expand the access that the public health department has. It does not give them unlimited access to the information. It all has to be for a permitted purpose, which again is under state law that is already granted to the public health department. Does it does it state in this exactly what specific items can be looked up on their records to the or is it just say it says it meant medical records is a specific to what that is yet well, so the public health department and mercy hospital are limited by state statute as to what can be shared so there isn't like a list that's in the agreement because it has to be a permitted purpose which is only something that is authorized already either by state law or those co-state regulations. So again, it's things like tuberculosis, measles, E. coli. The public health department has a requirement, an obligation to investigate those kind of outbreaks. And so this is just, again, a means of trying to efficiently allow the public health department to get access to that information that they're already authorized to get.

County Executive.

Yeah, Rory, how come it's just Mercy?

Yeah, so there are several other hospital groups within the region that we've already...

So they'll be coming in, they'll be asking us to do it for them too?

I think the reason that this is going to council is because Mercy's one had some indemnification requirements, there were some more legal language in there than maybe some of the other hospitals we're looking for but it's not it's not but it changes no it's certainly not just mercy and again this agreement doesn't change the fact that the public health department is not just entitled but required to access these records to be able to carry out their obligation to investigate those kind of outbreaks and of course you know the one that everybody thinks about of course was covid

And that's come up once and hopefully will never come up again. But I mean, we have food poisoning. cases all the time. Sure. Cyclospora is the most recent one. Yeah, we have food poisoning at a particular restaurant, and they'll have a list of people that were there and ate that day, and we have to contact them and get information about whether, you know, to stop the spread and so forth. Correct. And this just makes it easier to get that information.

It speeds up the process because you're not waiting to pull down or to have a hospital clerk send you the records, but

The authority to do it is in the state statute and the rules.

Correct.

Patty?

It says in the summary here that the Department of Health has established similar electronic medical record access for two other hospital systems, so we're already doing this. Correct. Okay. Thank you.

Does this say in there that they get a release, the patient gives them a release that allows them to do that, or is it do they not have to ask permission?

Again, this is a permitted purpose under state law, so there isn't necessarily a requirement to get consent from the patient for access to something that is mandated by state law.

Any other questions? That'll move us up to 5531. Thank you.

The number 5531 requested by Mike summer sponsored by making them an ordinance amending ordinance number 26 dash 0, 4, 5, by lowering the 2026 real property tax rate by 0.0001 and maintaining the personal property tax rate at 0.

Questions or comments on this one. Seeing that that will wrap up bills for introduction on to announcements and miscellaneous. Seeing none I would entertain a motion.

The fact over fest is coming up at the end of the month down on the riverfront and tonight was Saint Charles night out so all of our firefighters police and first responders have been hitting the neighborhood all over and so I just want to thank them for doing that and it's always a good night.

I think tell people that the ribbon cutting for the burger Meister ball is happening on Friday at 2 o'clock. down on the riverfront, and the brand-new Maybaum Pole Gala is happening Friday night at 5.30 at the Foundry Arts Center.

And the pole went up today.

The pole did go up today. It's much larger than what I thought. All those in favor of dismissing, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? We are dismissed.